Kolya is an itinerant mechanic with a house overlooking a prime patch of Russia’s northern coast. That house is coveted by the local mayor, who’s more mob boss than politician.

With bleak inevitably, Kolya’s (Aleksey Serebryakov) life unravels, and his travails spiral outward to suck in his wife (Elena Lyadova, who won’t win an Oscar, but should); his best friend, a lawyer from Moscow (Vladimir Vdovichenkov); and his adolescent son. Vladimir Putin is seen only in a photo, but his influence is everywhere. Like the Biblical big fish of the title, Russia is rotting from the head down.

Director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s film combines allegory, brutal melodrama, black humor and strikingly beautiful compositions, each frame dense with meaning. “Leviathan” stays absolutely gripping, right up to the O. Henry twist that slams the film shut.